Set GPU utilization factor from SETI@Home preferences

Questions and Answers : Wish list : Set GPU utilization factor from SETI@Home preferences
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Ron Voss Project Donor

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Message 1744637 - Posted: 25 Nov 2015, 1:42:28 UTC

Yes, please let SETI set this. I've had to suspend SETI (my original project!) because it makes my iMac fan run full blast. I tried setting "Suspend GPU" but SETI sends me only GPU jobs and I had to abort them. Let me run SETI again!
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Message 1744639 - Posted: 25 Nov 2015, 2:15:36 UTC - in response to Message 1744637.  

If you talk about something like "GPU utilization factor" present on Einstein@Home preferences:
https://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/prefs.php?subset=project

... you probably don't understand what it means.
There is no way to use "GPU utilization factor" to lower GPU load (to avoid "iMac fan run full blast")

If you set "GPU utilization factor" to 0.5 this means 2 tasks/GPU = higher GPU load
(0.5 = one task needs half GPU so BOINC will run 2 tasks per GPU)

If you set "GPU utilization factor" to 2 (not really possible) - no task will run
(2 = one task needs two GPUs)


I tried setting "Suspend GPU" but SETI sends me only GPU jobs and I had to abort them.

It's easy to tell any project to not send you GPU tasks:
SETI@home preferences
 


- ALF - "Find out what you don't do well ..... then don't do it!" :)
 
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Ron Voss Project Donor

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Message 1744873 - Posted: 25 Nov 2015, 21:10:36 UTC - in response to Message 1744639.  

Thanks, I wasn't thinking of einstein, but you're right, I don't understand why CPU usage can be limited (I set 50% of the [four] CPUs and 50% of the CPU time in BOINC preferences and the fan stays off) but GPU usage cannot be limited.

Thank you for the link! I didn't know we can set individual project preferences (after 15 years of running SETI).

But I'd still prefer to be able to limit GPU usage like we can limit CPU usage.
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Message 1744889 - Posted: 25 Nov 2015, 23:26:02 UTC - in response to Message 1744873.  
Last modified: 25 Nov 2015, 23:33:15 UTC

I set 50% of the [four] CPUs

That is easiest Setting to BOINC - it just starts 2 tasks (processes)


and 50% of the CPU time

BOINC do this reduction by pausing the applications' processes execution: 1 s ON, 1 s OFF
This is easy enough to do for CPU processes but not for code running on the GPU (GPU is like a-computer-in-the-computer)
This - to pause/resume the CPU part of the GPU apps - was enabled on some older BOINC versions (1-2 years ago) but had bad results and code was removed/disabled.

P.S.
There is a program - TThrottle - which can reduce the GPU load but it is only for Windows
TThrottle acts by temperature - e.g. you set max GPU temperature to be 50°C and if this is reached TThrottle will make/force small pauses (a few ms) in the GPU app to reduce the GPU load so temperature stays at 50°C
 


- ALF - "Find out what you don't do well ..... then don't do it!" :)
 
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Message 1744890 - Posted: 25 Nov 2015, 23:35:16 UTC - in response to Message 1744889.  

Got it.

SETI is up and running again with a quiet fan. Thank you!
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Message 1746277 - Posted: 2 Dec 2015, 12:38:46 UTC - in response to Message 1744639.  

If you talk about something like "GPU utilization factor" present on Einstein@Home preferences:
https://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/prefs.php?subset=project

... you probably don't understand what it means.
There is no way to use "GPU utilization factor" to lower GPU load (to avoid "iMac fan run full blast")

If you set "GPU utilization factor" to 0.5 this means 2 tasks/GPU = higher GPU load
(0.5 = one task needs half GPU so BOINC will run 2 tasks per GPU)

If you set "GPU utilization factor" to 2 (not really possible) - no task will run
(2 = one task needs two GPUs)


I tried setting "Suspend GPU" but SETI sends me only GPU jobs and I had to abort them.

It's easy to tell any project to not send you GPU tasks:
SETI@home preferences


he can also tell GPU to use 0.6 or 0.7 of GPU...
& than GPU will use 1WU per GPU, but only on 0.7 of GPU power/cores...
;)

but TThrottle is a far better idea...


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Message 1746317 - Posted: 2 Dec 2015, 16:01:56 UTC - in response to Message 1746277.  

he can also tell GPU to use 0.6 or 0.7 of GPU...
& than GPU will use 1WU per GPU, but only on 0.7 of GPU power/cores...
;)

No, because it doesn't work that way.
<gpu_usage> doesn't set the load on the GPU, it sets how many tasks you can run at the same time on the GPU. Setting it to 0.7 does not tell it to use 70% of the GPU's computing cores, as neither BOINC, nor the science application(s) can use the GPU in that manner.

A GPU can at this moment only be used with all cores full on, or all cores full off. A partial use of cores is in the works, but requires newer capable hardware and steering (OpenCL/CUDA). When running two tasks on a GPU, the two switch position between themselves on the GPU. They're not run in parallel, because the GPU is not capable of that.
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Questions and Answers : Wish list : Set GPU utilization factor from SETI@Home preferences


 
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